About Me Growing up in the Rio Grande Valley, my family background and culture are typical of this region. Looking for a better opportunity, my parents came to the United States from Mexico. I am a first generation Mexican-American and my native language is Spanish. I have two other siblings and I hope I will be the first in my family, but not the last, to receive a bachelor's degree. César, my wonderful husband of twelve years, and I have two awesome, loving, silly children, a daughter (7) and a son (5). My family is very supportive about school and constantly motivates me to do well in school and complete my degree. Pre-Reading Experiences Reading has always been a part of my life and I was exposed to literacy from the beginning of the year. On the contrary, I really enjoy reading and I have no difficulty accepting a new reading assignment. My reading habits are a bit undisciplined because there is never a set time or place for it to happen. Anyone who knows me has seen me pull reading materials out of my purse or phone to read quickly. I may not find time to “iron my clothes,” but I always make time to read. Sometimes I feel like an addict, because I NEED to read all the time, anytime, anything. I never lack motivation to read and crave the immediate escape it gives me. Reading is very relaxing and always relieves me of whatever may be stressing me out at the time. The entertainment I get from reading always outweighs any movie or TV show on air. My husband is very understanding as he also loves to read and we also want to instill a love of reading in our children. Additionally, I firmly believe in what Emilie Buchwald once said: “Children become readers at their parents’ knees.” » We read to them daily and my daughter reads the books so fast that I can't keep up with her. They see us reading all the time and as a result they both like to take a break to relax and read a book.